ZoogVPN (Used to be ZoogTV) Review: Quick Expert Summary
ZoogVPN is decent for streaming and torrenting and allows unlimited device connections, but there are better VPNs in 2023, like ExpressVPN or CyberGhost VPN.
ZoogVPN includes optimized servers for streaming and torrenting — I was able to stream from many of the popular streaming platforms including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+, and its P2P servers allowed me to quickly download small and medium files.
In addition, ZoogVPN features industry-standard VPN security features like AES 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and a no-logs policy. There are also DNS leak protections and obfuscation servers (to conceal your VPN use) so users in more heavily-restricted areas like China can freely access the internet.
Unfortunately, ZoogVPN needs improvement in a number of areas — its server network is quite limited, and I occasionally found myself unable to connect to random servers. It lacks advanced security features like RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy as well as extras like split tunneling and an ad blocker.
ZoogVPN comes with affordable monthly and yearly plans, as well as a decent free plan. The paid plans are covered by only a 7-day money-back guarantee — as long as you don’t exceed 10 GB of data.
| 🏅 Overall Rank | #42 out of 84 VPNs |
| 🌍 Servers | Unknown |
| 📱 Number of Devices | Unlimited |
| 💸 Starting Price | $1.87 / month |
| 🎁 Free Plan | Yes |
| 💰 Money-Back Guarantee | 7 days |
ZoogVPN Full Review
I spent two weeks testing ZoogVPN to see how it measured up to the top VPNs available in 2023.
ZoogVPN is great for large households, as it allows unlimited device connections and has apps to support all major platforms. It also comes with optimized servers for streaming (that work with Netflix) and allows torrenting on dedicated P2P servers.
However, it has servers in only 25+ locations, which is well below the competition and can make it difficult for many users to find a server in their home country or even a nearby country. I found the desktop apps to be a bit challenging to navigate and some servers on the mobile apps were randomly unreliable. And features are a bare minimum on all of ZoogVPN’s apps (they’re missing advanced security tools like RAM-only servers and extras like split-tunneling).
Overall, ZoogVPN performed OK for browsing, streaming, and torrenting, but it still fell short in too many other areas for me to recommend it over other industry-leading providers.
ZoogVPN Features
ZoogVPN has the following industry-standard VPN security features:
- 256-bit AES encryption — ZoogVPN uses the same level of encryption as banks, and it’s reinforced by a 2048-bit hash key, which adds another layer of security.
- No-logs policy — ZoogVPN doesn’t store any user data.
- Kill switch — This feature automatically disconnects you from the internet if the VPN suddenly goes down, keeping your data safe from leaking onto the internet.
ZoogVPN uses OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols. OpenVPN and IKEV2 are secure and popular VPN protocols, but I’m disappointed that WireGuard isn’t available — Private Internet Access, ProtonVPN, and CyberGhost VPN all have WireGuard and it’s always faster than both OpenVPN and IKEv2 in our tests.
ZoogVPN has DNS leak protection to ensure your real IP address isn’t leaked while you’re connected to a VPN server (but it doesn’t include WebRTC or IPv6 leak protection like ExpressVPN). I performed leak tests on a wide range of servers and my actual IP address remained concealed — ZoogVPN also passed my WebRTC and IPv6 tests, but I still recommend disabling this type of traffic on your device to be 100% safe.
While ZoogVPN doesn’t come with advanced security features such as perfect forward secrecy and RAM-only servers and lacks extras like split-tunneling and double VPN, it does include the following features:
- ZoogShadowing. ZoogVPN has obfuscated servers in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Israel that hide your VPN use and are designed to bypass internet restrictions in heavily-censored regions. I contacted customer support and they confirmed that these servers should work in restricted countries like China, Indonesia, and Iran.
- SOCKS5 servers. An alternative to normal VPN traffic, SOCKS5 proxy servers get you a new IP address but don’t encrypt your traffic, which usually increases your speeds (ZoogVPN’s SOCKS5 servers boosted my speeds by 5-7%). Private Internet Access also has SOCKS5 proxy servers, and they are even faster and easier to use.
ZoogVPN Privacy & Security
ZoogVPN has a no-logs policy that claims the VPN won’t log any of your personal information, including the websites you visit, the files that you download, or your IP address. While I like all of the information in the privacy policy, I’d find it easier to trust if ZoogVPN had conducted an independent audit — like ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN.
ZoogVPN is based in Greece, which is outside of the 5/914 Eyes Alliances — a group of countries that share intelligence data.
Overall, ZoogVPN has a strict no-logs policy (though it hasn’t been audited) and is located in a country outside of Eyes Alliance territories.
ZoogVPN Speed & Performance
I ran speed tests using my Windows laptop on a server in all 25+ countries where ZoogVPN has a server. My speeds were fastest on servers in or close to my country (the UK), but my speeds remained dipped more than I prefer on distant servers such as the US, Canada, Japan, South Africa, and India.
I started by testing my baseline speeds without connecting to a VPN server:
ZoogVPN has an auto-connect feature to help you find the fastest server for your location with one click. It connected me to a server in the UK. Here are my speeds:
These were my speeds while connected to the US:
When connected to servers in the UK, my tests showed a noticeable drop in download speeds, but websites loaded right away, I was still able to browse and stream in HD without delay, and I downloaded a 10 GB file in under 8 minutes. Switching over to servers throughout the US didn’t cause websites to take any longer to load, but videos took 4-5 seconds to start, and the same 10 GB file took me nearly double the amount of time to download. While my ping increased on distant servers, I didn’t encounter much lag at all playing video games.
Overall, ZoogVPN’s speed loss on local servers was barely noticeable, but I experienced some significant slowdowns on servers that were far away from me.
ZoogVPN Servers & IP Addresses
ZoogVPN has servers in only 25+ countries, leaving users in Central/South America, Asia, Africa, and parts of the Middle East without a nearby server. ZoogVPN’s server network is nowhere near as large as ExpressVPN, which has 3,000+ servers in 90+ countries, or CyberGhost VPN, which has a massive 9,400+ servers in 90+ countries.
One of the nice things about ZoogVPN is that it displays the ping and server load for each server on its website, but neither one is shown in the apps. This means you have to first visit the website to find the optimal server and then find the server in the app, which is a time-consuming and inconvenient process — other top VPNs like Private Internet Access and ProtonVPN display these types of speed metrics in the app right next to the servers so you can quickly connect to the fastest server. I also like how ExpressVPN has a built-in speed test, which displays the fastest servers and allows you to connect to your desired server with 1 simple click.
ZoogVPN has dedicated torrenting servers in 14+ countries that are optimized for fast downloads. Also, there are streaming servers in 10+ countries that work with many popular streaming services, including Netflix.
All in all, the server network is on the smaller side, the ping and server load percentage are displayed on the website (but not in the apps), and there are dedicated torrenting and streaming servers.
ZoogVPN Streaming & Torrenting
ZoogVPN is a decent choice for streaming with servers optimized for a wide variety of streaming services. Through my testing, I was able to access Netflix, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer, and my colleagues in the US reported that he could sometimes access ESPN+ and Hulu. However, Amazon Prime didn’t work for me.
If you’re looking for a VPN that works with all of the popular streaming services (and over 65 streaming apps worldwise), has the fastest speeds, and supports streaming on all of its servers, I strongly recommend ExpressVPN.
ZoogVPN has dedicated P2P servers in 14+ countries — a little P2P logo lets you know which servers have this feature. The P2P servers are based throughout Europe, as well as in Australia, the US, Hong Kong, Israel, and Singapore, which covers the majority of the globe but excludes users in Africa and South America. ZoogVPN works with popular torrent clients like uTorrent, BitTorrent, and Vuze. It also has SOCKS5 servers, which should provide a small boost in download speeds.
While I had a pretty good experience torrenting with ZoogVPN, I still prefer ExpressVPN, which supports P2P traffic on all of its servers, has better security features, and has the fastest speeds on the market.
Overall, ZoogVPN has optimized streaming and torrenting servers that are built to work with most streaming services and provide good speeds for downloading files.
ZoogVPN Plans & Pricing
ZoogVPN offers very cheap monthly and yearly plans as well as a free plan.
The free plan is decent — it includes access to 3 VPN locations (in the US, the UK, and the Netherlands), allows 10 GB per month, which is enough data to watch 3-4 movies in HD, has 128-bit AES encryption (instead of 256-bit AES), and allows 1 connection. That being said, ProtonVPN has the best free plan, with unlimited data and high-end security features.
The premium paid plans, which start as low as $1.87 / month, add unlimited device connections, access to all of ZoogVPN’s servers, and 256-bit AES encryption. While I love the budget-friendly prices, there are other inexpensive VPNs like Private Internet Access, CyberGhost VPN, and PrivateVPN that offer a much better value
ZoogVPN accepts credit cards, PayPal, and bitcoin, and all of its plans are covered by a (short) 7-day money-back guarantee — as long as you don’t exceed 10 GB (most top VPNs include an unconditional 30-day money-back guarantee while CyberGhost VPN covers your purchase for 45 days on yearly plans.
ZoogVPN Ease of Use: Mobile & Desktop Apps
ZoogVPN has apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux. There are also apps for Android TV and routers, but I wish ZoogVPN had browser extensions.
The desktop apps work well. I like how ZoogVPN marks streaming, P2P, and ZoogShadowing servers in the apps, but the interface generally isn’t all that aesthetically pleasing and doesn’t have a lot of customization. This is in contrast to CyberGhost VPN, which has a very polished and intuitive design, separate tabs for streaming, torrenting, and gaming servers, and tons of customization options like connection preferences and enabling features.
I didn’t really like the mobile apps, though. I had multiple issues connecting to some servers (for example, I failed to connect to a London server but quickly connected to a Canadian server). Otherwise, ZoogVPN’s mobile apps are OK but minimal and unimpressive. If you’re an active mobile user, I recommend checking out our top VPN picks for Android and iOS devices in 2023.
Overall ZoogVPN has decent apps for desktop but the mobile apps are a bit buggy.
ZoogVPN Customer Support
ZoogVPN’s customer support is good — it has live chat, a ticketing system, and email and even phone support, and there are frequently asked questions (FAQs) and setup guides.
When I tested the live chat, it worked really well. The representatives were helpful and responded in under 3 minutes most of the time. Their ticketing system and email support were also good, with replies coming in within 10 minutes. However, I had trouble getting through to anyone when I tried their phone support.
The setup guides are easy to follow and include screenshots and the FAQs are decent, but I had to contact customer support to get most of my questions thoroughly answered — the troubleshooting guides aren’t on par with top VPNs like ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN.
All in all, ZoogVPN has really good customer support via online contact platforms, but the guides have a lot of room for improvement.
Is ZoogVPN Worth Using in 2023?
ZoogVPN is a basic VPN service that is decent for streaming and torrenting, gives users unlimited connections, and is very affordable, but there are far better alternatives on the market like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access.
ZoogVPN has dedicated torrenting servers in 14+ countries that are optimized for fast download speeds, and its specialized streaming servers can access Netflix and other popular streaming services like Disney+ and BBC iPlayer.
While it comes equipped with essential VPN security features like AES 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and a no-logs policy, there’s not much else to highlight.
There are no advanced security features like RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy and no extra features like split-tunneling and an ad blocker. Also, ZoogVPN has slow speeds on distant servers, its server network is small, and it only covers its premium plans with a meager 7-day money-back guarantee (and it’s nullified if you exceed 10 GB of data).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ZoogVPN safe?
Yes, as ZoogVPN includes industry-standard VPN security features like 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, secure protocols, and a strict no-logs policy. However, ZoogVPN only protects your data with the bare essential features.
My top choice for an airtight online experience is ExpressVPN, which has the best security features in the industry, including RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, full leak protection, and an audited no-logs policy.
Does ZoogVPN have browser extensions?
No, ZoogVPN doesn’t have any browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, etc.
I recommend ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and CyberGhost VPN for the best browser extensions on the market.
Is ZoogVPN free?
Yes, ZoogVPN offers a decent free plan — it allows access to servers in 3 locations and has some streaming and torrenting support, but it caps your data at 10 GB per month and only allows 1 connection. If you’re only in the market for a free VPN, check out ProtonVPN, which allows unlimited data and comes with some of the best security features out there.
That being said, it’s best to go with an inexpensive premium VPN like ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access.
Can ZoogVPN access Netflix?
Yes, ZoogVPN works with Netflix. Throughout my testing, I was able to consistently access Netflix. ZoogVPN also works with Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and other less popular streaming sites, but it doesn’t work with Amazon Prime Video.
That being said, if you need a high-quality VPN for streaming Netflix, go with ExpressVPN, which has lightning-fast speeds (and works with 65+ other streaming apps).
Will ZoogVPN work in China?
Yes, ZoogVPN’s customer support representatives confirmed that the VPN works in China. The reps recommended that users connect to a server in nearby Hong Kong using its ZoogShadowing servers — these servers provide obfuscation and allow users to bypass China’s Great Firewall.
However, if you’re looking for the best VPN for China, I strongly recommend ExpressVPN, which has excellent obfuscated servers that work in China all of the time, the fastest speeds on the market, and best-in-class security features.
